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xx
Babylon A.D.
xx
College
82
Dark Knight, The
42
Death Race
xx
Disaster Movie
36
Fly Me to the Moon
54
Get Smart
xx
Goal II: Living the Dream
49
Hancock
34
Happening, The
78
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
71
Horton Hears a Who!
55
House Bunny, The
61
Incredible Hulk, The
65
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
79
Iron Man
57
Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D
73
Kung Fu Panda
53
Longshots, The
24
Love Guru, The
51
Mamma Mia!
43
Meet Dave
35
Mirrors
31
Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, The
64
Pineapple Express
53
Rocker, The
53
Sex and the City: The Movie
63
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, The
36
Space Chimps
35
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
51
Step Brothers
47
Swing Vote
62
Traitor
71
Tropic Thunder
70
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
93
WALL-E
64
Wanted
47
X-Files: I Want to Believe, The
54
You Don't Mess with the Zohan
93
WALL-E
82
Dark Knight, The
79
Iron Man
78
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
73
Kung Fu Panda
71
Tropic Thunder
71
Horton Hears a Who!
70
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
65
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
64
Wanted
64
Pineapple Express
63
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, The
62
Traitor
61
Incredible Hulk, The
57
Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D
55
House Bunny, The
54
You Don't Mess with the Zohan
54
Get Smart
53
Sex and the City: The Movie
53
Longshots, The
53
Rocker, The
51
Mamma Mia!
51
Step Brothers
49
Hancock
47
Swing Vote
47
X-Files: I Want to Believe, The
43
Meet Dave
42
Death Race
36
Space Chimps
36
Fly Me to the Moon
35
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
35
Mirrors
34
Happening, The
31
Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, The
24
Love Guru, The
xx
Goal II: Living the Dream
xx
Babylon A.D.
xx
College
xx
Disaster Movie
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

85
Alexandra
39
America the Beautiful
66
American Teen
73
Anita O'Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer
xx
Bachna Ae Haseeno
61
Baghead
55
Beautiful Losers
xx
Beer for My Horses
47
Before the Rains
80
Bigger, Stronger, Faster*
56
Bottle Shock
75
Boy A
55
Bra Boys
61
Brick Lane
64
Brideshead Revisited
61
Bustin' Down the Door
49
Children of Huang Shi, The
54
CSNY: Déjà Vu
xx
Cthulhu
86
Edge of Heaven, The
66
Elegy
52
Elsa & Fred
80
Encounters at the End of the World
64
Fall, The
86
Flight of the Red Balloon, The
83
Frozen River
68
Girl Cut in Two, A
62
Girls Rock!
73
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
54
Hamlet 2
25
Hell Ride
44
Henry Poole is Here
76
I Served the King of England
72
I.O.U.S. A
62
In Search of a Midnight Kiss
46
Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer
67
Jellyfish
62
Kabluey
63
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
78
Last Mistress, The
50
Last Stop for Paul
70
Love Songs
61
Man Named Pearl, A
89
Man on Wire
87
Momma's Man
74
Mongol
xx
My Mexican Shivah
80
Order of Myths, The
66
Patti Smith: Dream of Life
72
Priceless
61
Red
71
Roman de gare
78
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
51
Savage Grace
53
Sixty Six
xx
Sukiyaki Western Django
83
Tell No One
56
Then She Found Me
71
To the Limit
71
Transsiberian
80
Trouble the Water
83
U2 3D
86
Up the Yangtze
79
Visitor, The
61
Wackness, The
54
What We Do Is Secret
66
When Did You Last See Your Father?
64
XXY
xx
Year of the Fish
xx
Young People F**king
75
Young@Heart
89
Man on Wire
87
Momma's Man
86
Up the Yangtze
86
Edge of Heaven, The
86
Flight of the Red Balloon, The
85
Alexandra
83
U2 3D
83
Frozen River
83
Tell No One
80
Encounters at the End of the World
80
Bigger, Stronger, Faster*
80
Trouble the Water
80
Order of Myths, The
79
Visitor, The
78
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
78
Last Mistress, The
76
I Served the King of England
75
Young@Heart
75
Boy A
74
Mongol
73
Anita O'Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer
73
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
72
Priceless
72
I.O.U.S. A
71
To the Limit
71
Transsiberian
71
Roman de gare
70
Love Songs
68
Girl Cut in Two, A
67
Jellyfish
66
Elegy
66
Patti Smith: Dream of Life
66
American Teen
66
When Did You Last See Your Father?
64
Brideshead Revisited
64
XXY
64
Fall, The
63
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
62
In Search of a Midnight Kiss
62
Kabluey
62
Girls Rock!
61
Bustin' Down the Door
61
Baghead
61
Wackness, The
61
Man Named Pearl, A
61
Red
61
Brick Lane
56
Bottle Shock
56
Then She Found Me
55
Beautiful Losers
55
Bra Boys
54
Hamlet 2
54
What We Do Is Secret
54
CSNY: Déjà Vu
53
Sixty Six
52
Elsa & Fred
51
Savage Grace
50
Last Stop for Paul
49
Children of Huang Shi, The
47
Before the Rains
46
Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer
44
Henry Poole is Here
39
America the Beautiful
25
Hell Ride
xx
Sukiyaki Western Django
xx
My Mexican Shivah
xx
Bachna Ae Haseeno
xx
Cthulhu
xx
Beer for My Horses
xx
Year of the Fish
xx
Young People F**king
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
|
Alpha Dog
Universal Pictures
FILM:
MPAA RATING: R for pervasive drug use and language, strong violence, sexuality and nudity
Starring
Ben Foster,
Shawn Hatosy,
Emile Hirsch,
Sharon Stone,
Justin Timberlake,
Anton Yelchin,
and
Bruce Willis
Versatile filmmaker Nick Cassavetes directs an impressive group of both young and veteran performers in Alpha Dog, inspired by actual events, a film that follows three fateful days when the lives of a group of Southern California teens suddenly dead-ended. (Universal)
| GENRE(S): |
Crime
|
Drama
|
| WRITTEN BY: |
Nick Cassavetes
|
| DIRECTED BY: |
Nick Cassavetes
|
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: May 1, 2007
Theatrical: January 12, 2007
|
| RUNNING TIME: |
117 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: |
USA |

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
80
LA Weekly
Scott Foundas
In his best film to date, Nick Cassavetes directs with ferocious energy, taking scenes past their logical stopping points and pushing his actors (particularly Foster, who can be as terrifying as Edward Norton in "American History X") to, but never over, the precipice of absurdity.

75
ReelViews
James Berardinelli
Alpha Dog isn't a happy movie, but it's dramatically solid and the impressions it leaves will not be easily shaken.

75
USA Today
Claudia Puig
Don't be fooled by the presence of some pretty-boy actors: Alpha Dog is a gritty, gut-wrenching and disturbing film.

75
TV Guide
Ken Fox
Cassavetes' instincts are spot-on, particularly when it comes to casting Timberlake in what turns out to be the most important role in the film. He manages to be both reprehensible and deeply charismatic, and winds up stealing the picture.

75
Chicago Tribune
Michael Phillips
Around the midpoint Alpha Dog becomes less sociological and more personal, developing a real sense of suspense.

75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Stephen Cole
Like "Rebel", directed by Nicholas Ray, this film excels at capturing the nervous posturing of adolescent boys marking their territory by pissing on each other's shoes.

70
Washington Post
Stephen Hunter
The movie suffers from an uncertain structure, but it boasts an extraordinary naturalism, not particularly flattering. Sharon Stone has a brilliant, harsh turn as Zack's mom, and both Bruce Willis and Harry Dean Stanton have good turns as the elder generations of Trueloves. But the movie belongs to its youngsters, and it's a real eye-opener.

70
Village Voice
Robert Wilonsky
If nothing else, Alpha Dog's worth a look for the performance of Justin Timberlake, the moral center of a movie sorely in need of some conscience. Already a gifted comic actor--his Saturday Night Live appearances are now anticipated events--he proves himself able to go to a pitch-black place.

67
Baltimore Sun
Chris Kaltenbach
Alpha Dog may well go down as the most dispiriting film of 2007.

63
New York Post
Lou Lumenick
Justin Timberlake shows that he can do more as an actor than just take his shirt off - though he does that a lot as well - in the irresponsible, uncommercial but surprisingly watchable Alpha Dog.

63
Premiere
Ethan Alter
At its best though, the film offers a pointed critique of a youth culture that views someone like Jesse James Hollywood as a person to emulate.

63
Philadelphia Inquirer
Steven Rea
There's more voyeurism going on here, and less insight into a certain culture (the young and the wasted), than the filmmakers would probably admit to, but the performances are scarily real, and the outcome, well, is just scary.

60
Empire
Olly Richards
It suffers from ADD, but there's some terrific stuff in here. Leaving 15 minutes from the end and saving yourself a lumbering coda may improve enjoyment.

60
Film Threat
Pete Vonder Haar
Your enjoyment of Alpha Dog may very well depend on how put off you are by these facts, as well as how much you buy Timberlake in his role, and how in the mood you are to sit through "River’s Edge" set in the "Entourage" universe.

60
Variety
Justin Chang
Writer-director Nick Cassavetes' sprawling dramatization recklessly blurs the line between reconstruction and reality in ways that are admittedly interesting, if more than a little artistically suspect.

58
Portland Oregonian
Shawn Levy
Had the film been more tempered in its textures, had Cassavetes chosen a surer attitude toward his subjects, it might have been devastating. As it stands, though, it's far more showy than substantial.

58
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Sean Axmaker
For all of the credibility of the performances (or at least the teens), it all feels like recycled social commentary.

50
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Scott Tobias
All the bright colors Cassavetes splashes on the canvas don't make Alpha Dog art.

50
The New York Times
Manohla Dargis
The cretins rule in Alpha Dog, which has much the same entertainment value you get from watching monkeys fling scat at one another in a zoo or reading the latest issue of Star magazine. Of course a little of that nasty stuff may land on you, but such are the perils of voyeurism.

50
Rolling Stone
Peter Travers
Timberlake walks off with the movie. Too bad it's not worth stealing.

50
Entertainment Weekly
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Cassavetes throws in everything he can recycle to grab a core-demo viewer -- slutty teens making out, blaring rock music, guns, split screens.

50
San Francisco Chronicle
Ruthe Stein
The whole thing is dizzying, like "Moulin Rouge" without songs and dances extolling love.

50
Boston Globe
Wesley Morris
As it escalates to a nasty conclusion, Alpha Dog doesn't have the moral or emotional weight of tragedy. These aren't the psychologically exploded youths of "Rebel Without a Cause," or even "The Outsiders." They're characters in a long, violent, unbleeped episode of MTV's "Cribs."

50
New York Daily News
Elizabeth Weitzman
Who would have thought that a real-life tale of sex, drugs and murder could be so instantly forgettable?

50
Chicago Reader
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Apart from the grim forebodings of tragedy, writer-director Nick Cassavetes seems to have modeled this ambitious docudrama on Larry Clark's kiddie-porn shockers, but he doesn't know what to leave out, and the movie becomes excessively complicated with ancillary agendas.

50
Miami Herald
Rene Rodriguez
It's another portrait of amoral, hedonistic youth gone awry, a la Larry Clark's "Bully", and it is alternately engrossing and ridiculous, often in the span of one scene to the next.

40
Salon.com
Stephanie Zacharek
In this mess of a picture, Timberlake may be the rookie actor, but he's also the one to watch, the movie's North Star. The rest may as well be pinholes in a box.

40
Austin Chronicle
Marrit Ingman
It's a soggy drama said to be inspired by actual events – too serious to be trashy, too trashy to be serious.

40
Los Angeles Times
Kevin Crust
In a film with several over-the-top characters bordering on camp, Timberlake's Frankie is the only one who approaches three dimensions, adept at convincingly dishing out some of the movie's disturbing violence as well as registering subtle shifts in Frankie's allegiance.

25
Charlotte Observer
Lawrence Toppman
Its main feature is incessant, unimaginative profanity...Take out the cursing, and you're left with a plebeian drama about angry, aimless potheads, sloppily directed by the man who wrote it.


The average user rating for this movie is 5.2 (out of 10) based on 40 User Votes
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